The utility owners of the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) have proposed closing the 2250 MW power plant in the next few years. NGS is located in the northeast corner of Arizona on the Navajo Nation in the sparsely populated Four Corners region. There are significant high-voltage transmission connections between NGS and Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The closure of the plant creates attractive opportunities to re-purpose the transmission to transmit energy from neighboring states and/or to support regional wind and solar resource development. This webinar will present high-level information on the ownership of existing transmission and transmission rights in the region and opportunities for new wind and solar development to reach Western energy markets.

The majority of utilities in the U.S. participate in organizations that help plan and manage transmission operations and power flows, ensuring that power is available when and where it is needed. These Independent System Operators or Regional Transmission Organizations improve the reliability of the transmission system and have been shown to lower the operating cost of the electric system.

Will the lights stay on even as penetrations of renewable energy increase throughout the west?

In the seventh webinar in a series hosted by the Four Corners Wind Resource Center, Brian Parsons with the Western Grid Group discusses the topic of cost-effectively maintaining grid reliability with increasing penetrations of wind and solar power.

Transmission infrastructure must be planned well in advance of actual need to allow time for system and reliability planning, land acquisition, permitting and construction. Due to increased population density in the West, increased stakeholder engagement, and implementation of new policies requiring increased regional planning, the process of transmission planning is now more difficult than in the past. In response, planning processes are now more robust and lead times are longer. The result is that future transmission lines, which will exist on the landscape for more than fifty years, are more fully vetted today than ever before.

What part will wind energy play in our electric future in the region? Will wind energy support a reliable, low cost electric system or does it require special considerations and add costs? Experience shows that wind energy is a good citizen of the grid in the Four Corners states and beyond, providing a wide range of services, but only if we recognize and enable those services.

This webinar provides information on the range of services and operations of the West’s only organized regional transmission market - the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). This background will help participants understand the emerging EIM and its governance, as well as how the EIM supports wind integration.

This webinar covers lessons learned in the permitting of utility-scale wind projects and the development of ordinances and regulations for governing project development. Learn from county experts and the policy analysts at the Four Corners Wind Resource Center.

Topics Include:

Introduction to the Four Corners Wind Resource Center

Amanda Ormond, a contractor with Interwest Energy Alliance, provides a description of the center, its mission, the services it offers, and our partners and sponsors. Ms. Ormond's presentation is available here.

Local benefits of utility-scale wind development

Scott Albrecht, County Administrator for Beaver County, Utah, discusses impacts of the First Wind development on the economy of this rural community. Mr. Albrecht's presentation is available here. The four minute video featured in this presentation may be viewed here.

This webinar, the first in a series, introduces the Four Corners Wind Resource Center and provides information on the current state of the wind industry and the latest in turbine technology.

Topics include:

Introduction to the Four Corners Wind Resource Center

Sarah Wright, Executive Director of Utah Clean Energy provides a description of the center, its mission, the services it offers and partners and sponsors. Ms. Wright's presentation is available here.

State of the Wind Industry: Highlights from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Wind Technology Markets Report

This extensive report is an annual assessment of the costs, technology, industry and performance trends for wind, as well as market drivers, policy and future outlook for the industry. Ryan Wiser, Manager of the Electricity Markets and Policy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and author of the report presents the key findings from the report. Dr. Wiser's Report Summary is available here. Dr. Wiser's presentation is available here.

Characteristics of a Modern Wind Turbine

Modern wind turbines have sophisticated electronics that make them a valuable addition to the power grid. Jason Cotrell, Senior Engineer and Manager of the Wind Turbine Technology Innovation Program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory discusses turbine design for different wind regimes and turbine capabilities such as low voltage ride through and Automatic Generation Control. Mr. Cotrell's presentation is available here.